Placemaking

architecture and urban design projects

Beyond the Surface: Advancing Material Transparency

by Thoughts?

Material transparency is key for architects and designers to improve health, reduce environmental impact, and promote equity. We use transparency frameworks like LEED, Living Building Challenge and the AIA Materials Pledge to inform our practice.

Transportation Planning: Adaptation Through Connection

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As we help communities design their streets, transportation systems, and public spaces, we recognize the uncertainty that big changes can bring. By focusing on the fundamentals of walkable communities and safe, accessible networks, we will be resilient.

Hazelwood Green

With leadership from evolveEA, Hazelwood Green is transforming into a low carbon development with aggressive energy, water, waste, and transportation goals, compliant with 2030 and P4 targets, and is to be certified under LEED for Neighborhood Development.

Station Area Planning for Transit Oriented Development

Station Area Planning enables the Port Authority to strategically manage its facilities and operations, and increase ridership by densifying urban nodes around transit stations and promoting healthy, active, car-free, and affordable lifestyles.

Etna Ecodistrict Education & Planning

The Etna EcoDistrict is building on the successes and methods of neighboring ecodistricts and participating in the Triboro Ecodistrict. evolveEA designed a full year community education curriculum that explores key ecodistrict concepts of Water, Food, Energy, Air, Mobility, and Equity.

Fifth & Dinwiddie Transit Oriented Development

The Uptown neighborhood will see a transformation from parking lots to a multi-use development that includes affordable and market-rate housing, a bus rapid transit hub, and public art allowing opportunities for cultural expression. evolveEA led the masterplanning of the public spaces and is currently designing the public spaces with artists from the Hill and Uptown.

Living Cities Masterplan

Like many post-industrial communities, the Larimer neighborhood has seen massive amounts of disinvestment in its residents, organizations and infrastructure. In collaboration with the community, evolveEA articulated a “living cities” vision that examined ways that energy independence, net zero water use, and localized food economies could make the existing community more resilient and attract and sustain equitable development.

Breathe Easy: Millvale Air Quality Planning

The Millvale Air Quality Plan was initiated because the Pittsburgh region ranks in the worst 4% of US cities for air quality, emphasizing a major health risk. As part of their Ecodistrict Pivot 2.0 Plan, Millvale Borough set the goal to become a “clean air community where people can breathe easy indoors and out”. The Breathe Easy Plan and implementation projects demonstrate how a citizen science research project can utilize expertise in the region to empower residents and produce impactful placemaking strategies.

Triboro Ecodistrict

Millvale, Etna, and Sharpsburg are three rivertown communities whose pursuits of district scale sustainability brought them together as a multi municipal ecodistrict to pool their forces.

Grow Pittsburgh

evolveEA's relationship with Grow Pittsburgh goes back over ten years and includes several engagements across our strategy, planning, and architectural design services.